


Eyes bright enough to burn

by knightsofthesun



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Everybody Lives, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Survival, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-15 09:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13027875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightsofthesun/pseuds/knightsofthesun
Summary: In a world of utter loneliness, two lost boys find in each other more than just a highest chance at survival.or: Daniel’s just searching for his brother, and Seongwoo can’t find it in  himself to be alone anymore; the zombie au no one asked for.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing with this but wELP I promised I'd give this story to my friend lol  
> I'll add tags, pairings and characters as I go, all Wanna One will eventually appear and make part of the fic.  
> Frô, happy birthday, hope you like it <3

**day 394, week 57**

_and i kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her_

_she had eyes bright enough to burn me (they reminded me of yours)_

\- bright eyes, the calendar hung itself

 

Seongwoo wanders mindlessly through the market. His eyes are trained, his fingers scaveging through every pile of cans he can find, trying to find something edible to eat, and his ears are attentive to any type of sound even though the evening seems uneventful and peaceful — because, in the end, no one knows when an undead will show up and hunt you down.

He’s kind of _expecting_ to get into trouble, so, when he turns on an aisle and gets thrown to the floor like a sack of potatoes, Seongwoo’s initial instinct is to smack it across the face and _get moving,_ no questions asked.

Except that the _thing_ — because it’s _always_ a thing, unless proven the contrary, but Seongwoo doesn’t usually stick around to discover — falls cursing, not groaning like a living dead, and Seongwoo doesn’t feel any better when crawling away, eyes fixed on — _him?_

“Shit, shit, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, I —” and the rest is lost in a mumbled nosense about not paying attention and being in a hurry, and Seongwoo’s _staring._

What the actual _fuck._

Seongwoo’s getting on his feet and ready to make a run for it when the boy stops talking, seemingly freezing on spot before turning to him. The kid doesn’t look bad — at least, not as bad as someone who’s living in a world like theirs —, but there’s dirt smudged on his face, his hair’s a nest, and his eyes are so wide they look like they’re about to pop in shock.

“What.” the boy stands, and Seongwoo’s instinct is to step back, not quite trusting the stranger anywhere next to him. “What are you —”

He doesn’t have the chance to finish it, though, because, as soon as the first words come out, the other throws himself _straight at him,_ not seeming to mind one bit that Seongwoo almost falls flat on his back once more. And then, instead of trying to bite him off or something — and that was kinda what Seongwoo was _expecting_ —, the stranger _kisses_ him. Full-on _kisses_ him.

Seongwoo does the smartest thing that comes to his mind — smacks him again.

The boy stumbles, but doesn’t fall this time, and, if anything, he only looks _stunned._ Seongwoo asks himself if he’ll have to hit harder the next time.

_“Shit.”_ the stranger curses. _“Shit,_ you’re real, _you’re real.”_

Seongwoo tries to be discreet when searching for his gun — because he _ain’t_ dealing with a crazy guy all on his own, darling —, but the movement of his hands is the first thing the boy sees, and his eyes widen once more in realization.

“Don’t!” he all but _screams,_ and, if they didn’t call any attention _before,_ they sure as hell are now. Seongwoo scowls, and the stranger seems to know _exactly_ what he did wrong. “Hell.”

_Right._ Hell. Seongwoo turns his head just the tiniest bit, just so he’ll have enough room to look back, but, just as _something_ turns around the corner, there’s a tug in his hands, and he finds himself being pushed forward.

“C’mon!” the tone of urgency, rather than how desperate the boy looks, is what gets Seongwoo moving alongside him, and soon they’re sprinting down the hall, stumbling into things left behind. “I know where to go!”

Even if he didn’t, Seongwoo guesses he didn’t exactly have a _choice_ — he wasn’t supposed to take so long in this place, because he _doesn’t know it here,_ didn’t think about maping the market or even searching for a easy way out; it’s his own damn fault that he’s stuck with a complete (and mad) stranger with _runners_ after them.

 

[The universe’s not so cruel as to fuck them up, though, and, regardless of the fact that _there’s no backdoor, what the hell,_ at least the stranger seems to know where he’s going, and finds them an ‘empty room’ to hide while they have nowhere else to run.

It’s not really _empty_ — there’s no space at all, if Seongwoo’s being honest, full of boxes that seem to have cleaning products in them, but he guesses it’s better to be here than out there with the living dead (or in a room full of rotten food).

He leans against the corner furthest from the door, arms crossed in front of his chest, and stares at the panting boy leaning on the door, breathless.

“Shit.” the stranger says, and looks up at him with an awkward smile. “That was a close one, wasn’t it?” when he notices Seongwoo’s not nearly as satisfied with the situation as he is, he rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Sorry about back there, I wasn’t really thinking. I’m Daniel, by the way. Kang Daniel. And you are...?”

Seongwoo finds himself all but _ignoring_ everything inside him that screams for him to ignore the boy — _Daniel_ —, to keep it to himself, to be _composed_ and avoid contact at all costs, because _he knows exactly where this is heading to._ But Daniel’s half smile is the first he’s seen in a while, and he seems _honest._

The last human contact Seongwoo had was more than four months ago, and he finds himself feeling _curious_ about it.

“Seongwoo.” he says, and then, awkwardly: “It’s — okay. I guess.”

Good _gods,_ when did human interaction turn into something so _hard?_

“Nice, Seongwoo-ssi!” Daniel claps silently, the bright smile back on his face. “Do you wanna play cards? I think I have an almost complete one somewhere here.”

Seongwoo’s a _total and absolute_ cheater at playing cards — at least, he _used to be_ —, but doesn’t feel the need to mention it. Instead, he gets closer to Daniel, and prepares himself to waste all the time they still have ahead of them _fucking winning_ at — whatever it is that they’re playing.]

 

It doesn’t mean he trusts the kid; hell, it doesn’t mean _anything at all._

But it’s a start.


	2. one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s absolutely no need for Seongwoo to feel _guilty._  
>  He feels guilty anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yaaay here we are  
> double update because I ~~don't do anything but write~~ was free lol

**day 395, week 57**

 

The thing about Daniel is: he’s a very, _very_ emotional person. Not the type to cry over small things, sure, but the type to get _attached_ easily. He did that when he first saw his little brother — a bundle of rosy cheeks and big eyes in their mother’s arms —, he did that when he befriended Daehyun, and overall with almost every people who’s bothered enough to keep a conversation with him for more than five minutes. It’s not something he can _control,_ to be honest, and he’s never quite felt the need to try.

With the whole thing about the world ending, though, Daniel guesses it’s gotten _worse_ — he hasn’t had any human contact ever since he left home, and only _now_ Daniel realizes how much that affected him. He went to sleep watching Seongwoo trying o build a castle of cards, after losing every round of all the games they played — Daniel’s never been really good at anything involving cards, but they had time to waste and Seongwoo seemed to be having a good time, so he didn’t really mind.

At least, not until the next morning, when Daniel wakes up alone, with no sign that Seongwoo’s ever been with him in the first place.

 

[Daniel’ heartbeat goes over the roof, and he finds himself sitting before he’s even fully awake, vision blurry, body sore, blood running cold once he notices that, _hey,_ it’s true, _he’s alone once again._ Reality dawns upon him like a brick, and Daniel feels _nauseous._

“Seongwoo-ssi?” he calls, lowly, afraid that, if he talks any louder, he’ll bring attention to himself.

Part of him hopes that this is just a misunderstanding. That Seongwoo decided to hide behind the boxes for extra safety, or he’s got a heavy sleep, or he’s just playing a prank on Daniel — last evening, he looked like the type of guy who enjoyed playing pranks on people before... Well, before the world came down crashing and burning. Daniel wouldn’t even _mind_ if it were a prank, he really wouldn’t, he just — he doesn’t want to be alone again. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore.

But then another moment goes by, and Daniel’s met with silence.

 _That’s_ when he starts to panic.]

 

Seongwoo’s almost five blocks away, well and safe, when he commits the mistake of looking back. Because, see, he’s completely fine with being own his own — he doesn’t need to worry about food, he doesn’t need to search resources for two or more people and, all in all, he gets to do whatever he wants whenever he wants _without_ having to worry about someone else’s survival. If Seongwoo takes a stupid decision, he pays for it alone — there’s no innocent’s blood on his hands, no one to look out for, to take care of. _It doesn’t make sense_ for him to look back, to _hesitate._

But he does.

 _Good gods,_ he does, and regrets _every single moment_ of it when his body stops, feet frozen in place, a heavy weight settling itself over his shoulders. Daniel looked _fine_ — honestly better than Seongwoo would think someone so young-looking would be —, he clearly doesn’t need help. He also doesn’t need a ‘thank you’ for saving their lives, because _he_ was the one to put them in trouble in the first place; it was only fair for him to take responsibility of it. There’s absolutely _no need_ for Seongwoo to feel _guilty._

He feels guilty anyway.

“Damnit.” Seongwoo pinches the bridge of his nose, cursing every single entity out there that _had_ to put in him a weak spot for human interaction and looking out for other people. “Damnit, _damnit.”_

Angry with himself for not being able to turn his back on this weird episode of his life and _move on,_ Seongwoo marches back to where he came from.

 

[He comes face to face with Daniel a whole block sooner than expected, and the boy’s wide, shocked eyes tell him he wasn’t expecting for them to meet again. It almost makes Seongwoo believe he’s made a horrible mistake, but he sees through it soon enough — Seongwoo’s always been good at reading people, and, right now, if anything, Daniel looks _devasted._

Suddenly, Seongwoo’s feeling a whole lot better about not leaving the boy behind.

“Seongwoo-ssi!” Daniel’s voice sounds awkward, almost wrong, and Seongwoo’s feeling _embarassed._ “I thought you aband — I thought you left!”

The distress in his voice tells the other he thought a whole set of even worse things — he just won’t say them all right now. Seongwoo decides not to press the boy, because he himself finds it hard to tell the truth. So he does the smartes thing he can think of right now: he lies.

“Don’t be silly, kid. I just went to get us some food.” and Seongwoo _did_ get food — although for a travel and not for Daniel, but the boy doesn’t need to know that. He reaches out for his backpack. “I found canned fruits and beans, but, if you don’t like it, we can search for something else.”

Daniel stares at him, and then at his extended hands and the small cans in them. His eyes seem alarmingly wet, and Seongwoo’s _starting_ to feel a bit uncomfortable when he _finally_ reaches out for the food, sniffling only once and offering him a shaky smile.

“Thank you, Seongwoo-ssi!” if his hands weren’t busy, Daniel looks like he would’ve clapped happily — it’s the second time in two days that Seongwoo sees him doing that, and the habit causes him curiosity. “Shall we go to a less public space?”

Only _then_ Seongwoo remembers that, _hey!_ They’re still out there in the streets, and there were _runners_ here last night. It makes him immediately uneasy, and he agrees without dwelling much on it.

“Sure! The higher the better, right?” higher places are harder to be spotted on, and they can see the threat and act upon it before it gets too out of hand.

Daniel seems to think the same thing, because he doesn’t really argue, only nodding. He immediately starts walking, though, and Seongwoo stares confusedly at his back for a moment. Daniel notices he’s alon, and turns around to call him in a hushed voice.

“Come on, Seongwoo-ssi! I know a good place just a few streets down this corner. Aren’t you hungry?”

Seongwoo wants to say that no, not really, but Daniel’s hopeful look shuts him up on spot.

He follows.]

 

“It’s hyung.”

Daniel looks up from his canned beans, munching his food happily and completely not getting the point of whatever it is the other’s trying to get across. Seongwoo hasn’t eaten much — actually, he barely even touched his food, seeming more interested in watching Daniel eat. The boy suddenly feels a bit self-conscious.

“What?” he asks, because he didn’t get it.

Seongwoo’s mouth does an awkward thing, as if he were about to smile but stopped himself in the last moment. Daniel’s curious, now.

“If I remember right, you said last night that you’re 21.” Seongwoo shrugs. “That makes me your hyung.”

“No way.” Daniel’s incredulous — Seongwoo looks like he’s about his age, if not a bit younger. If it weren’t for formality purposes, Daniel would’ve called him just by his name all along. “How?”

The other shrugs quietly.

“I’m almost 23. Therefore, hyung.”

If life were a cartoon, Daniel’s jaw would be on the floor.

This time, Seongwoo doesn’t manage to stop his smile.


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was just... Waiting, I guess.”  
> “For what?”  
> “A signal.”

**day 409, week 59**

 

Despite having _completely different_ ways of dealing with the world around them, Seongwoo finds out that, in the end, it _is_ productive to have Daniel as his partner in this mess, even if most of the time they can barely agree with each other. Apparently, the only thing they _did_ 100% agree on was that, as someone older, even if by just a year and a few months, Seongwoo would be the one to lead.

“I’m not going anywhere special.” he remembers warning the younger, after it was decided that he’d be the one to choose where — and when — they’d go next. “Didn’t you have to do anything here?”

One thing about Seongwoo is that he never, _ever_ spends more than one week at the same place, unless it’s extremely necessary. At that time, he still thought that Daniel had to be in the city for at least _one month_ to know every corner of it — and couldn’t think of a better reason for him to stay for so long other than _he’s doing something important here, he might want to stay._

But Daniel shrugged, eyes distant, without looking properly at the older.

“Don’t worry about it, hyung.” he said. “I was just... Waiting, I guess.”

That took Seongwoo by surprise.

“For what?”

Daniel’s eyes told him he shouldn’t want to know.

“A signal.”

They haven’t talked about it ever since, and Seongwoo doesn’t think they really need to talk it out. It’s not his place to decide, and Seongwoo’s satisfied with things as they are. He himself doesn’t want to share his past experiences and reasoning to be where he was at the time — it wouldn’t make sense for him to expect to hear Daniel’s entire life after barely meeting him.

As long as they have good synch when survival is the matter — and they _do_ —, Seongwoo doesn’t think he needs to worry.

 

[Unless there’s food involved — then he _needs_ to worry.

“You did _what?_ ” he asks, disbelief clear in his voice.

Daniel offers him a sheepish smile.

“So, I kinda did something I shouldn’t have?”

His hesitation in repeating it only adds to Seongwoo’s already thin patience. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

“You’re putting it nicely.” he accuses, and Daniel’s smile falters.

“Okay. I — uh, I ate my food.” the boy rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Almost all of it.”

The food was supposed to last for _at least_ three more days. Seongwoo facepalms.

“Honestly, kid —“ _have you never heard of rationating food,_ is the question he wants to ask, but his voice dies at the back of his throat when he looks up and sees the worry worming its way into Daniel’s features.

His resolve to argue crumbles a bit.

“Just — be more careful next time, okay?”

Daniel’s face lights up like a Christmas tree.

“Yes, sir!”]

 

Daniel’s afraid he’ll screw up. Whenever he messes something up — be it by making too much noise, being too careless, not properly keeping their resources — and Seongwoo looks like he’s a step away from losing his temper, Daniel thinks it’ll be the last straw, the last wrong step, and the older will finally decide they’ll be better parting ways.

And, see. Daniel’s not — and has never been — an insecure person.  He’s friendly and talkative and very open about things, honest in a way most people found unsettling even _before_ the zombies popped out of nowhere. But having been prived from human interaction ever since day 1, Daniel finds it a bit more than _awkward_ to do this now — even more and specially with Seongwoo, who’s practical and quick and likes to _plan things out._

The only type of planning Daniel’s ever done was decorating cities and buildings’ maps, and even then, he was never _that_ much worried about it. It’s not in his _nature_ to do so — Daniel takes one day at time, and he’s been doing just fine until now.

In his head, that’s a very valid reason to worry about the partnership they have going on — if Seongwoo gets fed up with him, he’ll leave, simple as that. It’s not like walking on eggshells, because Daniel wouldn’t be able to do that even if he tried; it’s more like doing his best to make himself useful somehow.

Daniel’s good at remembering things and places, he takes that to his advantage. He’s good at improvising, at maping places, at _hiding._ So he does the best he can, and tries not to be too hard on himself, because he knows it won’t take them anywhere.

Seongwoo’s willing to stay at his side, so Daniel’s willing to _try._

 

[“How do you _do_ this?”

Seongwoo’s out of breath, but, even then, the surprise in his voice is clear as crystal, his eyes fixed on Daniel, confused and curious. Daniel manages to flash him a smile, even though his lungs burn and his legs feel like giving in after the run and he’s as clueless as ever.

“Do what?” he asks, and Seongwoo huffs.

“You always know where to go!” he says, and, though there’s incredulity in his voice, there’s a little bit of admiration there, too. “We haven’t been in this city for three days, Daniel, and you know the place like you’ve lived here your _entire life.”_

Daniel rubs the back of his neck. Seongwoo’s eyebrows furrow together.

“Did you?”

“What?” Daniel shakes his head vehemently. “No, no! I just — uh, I may or not may have, you know, a lot of free time and, like, not a lot of things to do and —”

“Daniel.” Seongwoo’s voice’s amused. “Spill the beans.”

He does.

“I’ve decorated the map you gave me the other day.”

Seongwoo stares at him for a long, _long_ moment. Daniel shifts uncomfortably.

“Honestly, I’m not even surprised anymore.” he shakes his head, and Daniel’s heart starts sinking to his stomach — but then Seongwoo smiles, small and soft, and the worry vanishes instantly. “Will you teach me to do that?”

A smile makes its way to Daniel’s face.

“Sure!”

Why not?]

 

Seongwoo has the habit of stopping and staring whenever they pass next to a music shop or anything of sorts — it’s something he did, even before, and certain habits die hard. Daniel notices — he always does — but, apparently, it takes him some time to work over the courage to say anything about it.

“Uh, hyung — do you like music?”

The question is phrased awkwardly, and Seongwoo sees Daniel cringing at himself for his choice of words. It kinda makes him want to smile, but Seongwoo only shrugs, resuming to his walk.

“I was majoring music.” he admits, even though he doesn’t know exactly _why._

“Oh.” Daniel says, and, right when Seongwoo thinks he’ll leave it at that, the younger keeps going: “Was it nice?”

Seongwoo thinks about his college days. Thinks about the satisfaction of receiving a good grade, the despair before tests, the relief after they were over, and a nostalgic feeling installs itself inside his ribcage.

“Yeah.” and he turns to the boy, who seems a bit caught off guard b the sudden attention. “And you? What did you do before this madness?”

Daniel offers him a restrained smile.

“Nursing school.”

Seongwoo feels he touched a sore subject.

He doesn’t ask anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE a confession to make::::::::::::::  
> i love foreshadowing things.  
> like, a lot.  
> bonus points to you if you get anything before I explain it \o/
> 
> See y'all in a few days! :D

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if the updates will be sporadic or not, but probably yes because I'm a lazy and lost bean lol  
> See y'all someday! \o


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